Tying up some loose ends- P8, Eldon Hill & quarry, Slitherstones and beyond

alastairgott

Well-known member
Ramblings
I?m just trying to tie up a few loose ends around the Eldon hill area, partly as I was out last weekend and saw some Railway sleepers west of Eldon hole, after looking I don?t think it was Burning Drake but still it got me interested in the area and if there were any missing links or loose ends that need tying up.

I Suppose my main interest in all of this is to be able to get to some of the passage potentially beyond sump 10 (south) or 6 (east) in P8 (before the divers J ) or I guess to drop in somewhere in the current sump series to facilitate diving. But from the descriptions this looks unlikely as no avens are mentioned in the sump index.

It is thought that sump 9 is underneath Eldon hill quarry, so any holes descended further south than this would probably end up beyond sump 10 in p8.

Connection to Peak?
I can only guess that the main water that links onto peak doesn?t pass through sump 10. But instead goes through sump 6 and onto the (undiscovered) switching series between main rising and whirlpool rising. Seemingly due east of Sump 6 are sidetrack and alsops cave in Eldon Quarry. So sump 10 would pass straight under Eldon hill (the top of Eldon Quarry).

Therefore, I guess, areas of interest are either undescended shafts in Eldon Quarry to get access beyond sump 6 or burning drake mine or other rakes on Eldon hill. Phil Wolstenholme do you think it?s possible to get another way into Burning drake to improve access?

Questions
Bograt- have the credit crunchers or anyone looked at the natural shaft in the 3rd terrace or Eldon Quarry? Any chance you could show us?
http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=13306.msg172477#msg172477

Pete knight- Any luck on the EH Permission to put lids on/cap the shafts in the area? http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=16526.msg216645#msg216645

Rob Eavis and Credit crunchers- how far did you get down Slitherstones? to the fabled streamway?
http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=16526.msg216666#msg216666
at 110 fathom level? http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=13761.msg177506#msg177506
(this thread was going well until some idiot poked his nose in about a mineshaft near rowter!)

T pot 2- Do you think it would be good to cap the shaft with the boulder on it?
http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=8892.msg134375#msg134375
and what?s this about more shafts with JH on them??
Is this the same hole Pete Knight?- http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=16769.0

Dan (I think Sullivan?)- any luck on the big bomb hole by the motorbike track? http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=10330.msg135314#msg135314

Moose, AR (Goddard?) and T pot 2- just a general question, any shafts that you can think of that need looking at again? Particularly around the Eldon area.

Any thoughts from the Badgers or the Eldon Crusader explorers would be welcome.
 

AR

Well-known member
Before anyone can really start highlighting shafts to investigate, you'd need to do a fair bit of archival digging to pin down who's done what. The Pegasus CC logbooks (now held at Glutton Bridge) are probably the best place to start; as T-Pot and others have mentioned, they were busy round that neck of the woods back in the 1970s and I've head they were responsible for digging out the hole that was filled in last summer that's caused all the problems with the road! A systematic ground survey is also a worthwhile exercise as doing this can  sometimes find shafts not on any map. 

As for the Slitherstones shaft that reputedly went down to a streamway somewhere around the 60-70fm level, I'm still of the opinion that the main engine shaft was located about where the upper bench in the quarry is. The Faucet shafts are back in my in-tray again following last Saturday's DCA meeting but this week seems to have been taken up with several other matters, I will be discussing possibilities with Tim Allen in due course. Just as  a general point, consent for works on a scheduled monument is not issued by English Heritage, it's issued by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport - when applying, you talk to EH first then they pass it on with their recommendation to the DCMS for ministerial approval.
 

bograt

Active member
I think Ron Hammond has recently done a very detailed surface survey of the Eldon Quarry area, I suggested he leave a copy in the Glutton Bridge library, I don't know if he did.
 

Rob

Well-known member
alastairgott said:
...
Rob Eavis and Credit crunchers- how far did you get down Slitherstones? to the fabled streamway?
http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=16526.msg216666#msg216666
at 110 fathom level? http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=13761.msg177506#msg177506
...
As far as i'm aware, during the 2012 Peak Expedition nobody descended Slitherstones. There were a few projects around that area, but mostly to the North towards the road, such as the chamber mentioned here: http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=13180.msg177735#msg177735

alastairgott said:
...
Any thoughts from the Badgers or the Eldon Crusader explorers would be welcome.
As a "Crusader", my main suggestion is grab a rope and go for a good hard look yourself. Most of what you talk about is in a good location to find cave (i.e. between Peak and Perryfoot). Getting reports on stuff is all well and good, but if there is a way on that's been missed it won't be in any report.....
 

Big Jim

Member
Ali, go and have a poke at end of Convenience - some digging tools in there. Take drill and capping gear too - Im sure we left a tub of caps in there. Dig might need bailing. Don't forget if you do to complete the Eldon quarry log book though!!!!

Ive always been intrigued by Burning Drake but chances of doing owt there I bet would be next to feck all. Natural England are Ok but English Heritage...... hmmmmm, good luck!

J
 

Jenny P

Active member
bograt said:
I think Ron Hammond has recently done a very detailed surface survey of the Eldon Quarry area, I suggested he leave a copy in the Glutton Bridge library, I don't know if he did.

Yes, we do have a copy of Ron's map/survey in the British Caving Library at Glutton Bridge.

Jenny Potts,
Library Co-ordinator
 

alastairgott

Well-known member
Bograt...? :) Any chance we could meet up on Saturday morning at eldon quarry so that you can show me where this shaft is? Don't worry if you can't. (maybe you could point to it on google maps? http://goo.gl/maps/i3IiZ )


I'm planning on popping down Convenience cave on Saturday, if anyone wants to join me for a trip they are more than welcome, just for a normal trip you understand just to see what the end looks like. (as i've not yet done convenience).
will firm up a time later. (Personal Message [pm] me if your interested, apparently the crawl is reasonably tight, but I've met some of the diggers and they're not sticks, so most cavers should be fine).


Edit: Thank you for all of the responses too :)
 

alastairgott

Well-known member
Hehe! Of course :)

If i'd have already been in i would know how big the crawl is (in COPD).

You free on saturday jim?
 

bograt

Active member
alastairgott said:
Bograt...? :) Any chance we could meet up on Saturday morning at eldon quarry so that you can show me where this shaft is? Don't worry if you can't. (maybe you could point to it on google maps? http://goo.gl/maps/i3IiZ )

Can't make any promises, might pop over for a look in my own time.
 

T pot 2

Active member
Alister
Yes I do think that the shaft with the boulder does not only require capping but it needs descending first in order to survey whats there. Slitherstones mines are a different animal numbers 1, 2, and 3 as I call them (looking north to south) are as I remember 1) nice shaft some interesting workings but not that spectacular. 2) Nice shaft some interesting internal winzes up into levels but very loose, follow the bottom cart gate to the south to gain a large chamber which leads into another chamber where you at one time could enter number 3 shaft and see daylight up above at the surface. (3 is now collapsed at grass) from the bottom of 3 shaft it was possible to enter another 2 chambers at the end of which was a drafting collapsed level heading south.
These shafts were done in 1974 on electron ladders and you were life lined up and down on the signal of a whistle. It was after then that descenders started to come into use in conjunction with the notorious Willans climbing harness for use in descending shafts. A point of interest for you here I remember Mick Durdy bringing a set of Jumars to the Pegasus Hostel in late 74 and mick, myself and steve watson played around in the barn at dogman slack trying to use them, this was before we had even heard of the frog method. The laughs we had because the Willans centre of gravity was at the top of your ribs which was'nt condusive to prussiking. It was when I joined the eldon at christmas 75 that things started to be develpoed properly for being used in ascent of shafts upward. That brings me onto another thought but  I'll not relate it now i'll save it for another time

T
 

bograt

Active member
alastairgott said:
Bograt...? :) Any chance we could meet up on Saturday morning at eldon quarry so that you can show me where this shaft is? Don't worry if you can't. (maybe you could point to it on google maps? http://goo.gl/maps/i3IiZ )

Couldn't do anything with Google maps, probably a combination of steam driven computer and alcohol pickled cerebrum.
Had to go for screen grab, sorry about the quality but should give you some idea of the location as I vaguely remember it, around the red circle;

169774c3-8c91-4087-9f48-02af1312b05f_zpsfq53mjzg.jpg


Thinking further about this, has anyone noticed which way the water flow was in Sidetrack? in or out?
 

alastairgott

Well-known member
Hi Bograt, so the third terrace as you remember it has been quarried away. hmm we'll need to do a little bit of searching then...

Sidetrack, I was in there not long ago but didn't look at the scalloping on the walls i'm afraid.

Tpot2 thanks for the heads up on the slitherstones mines. We should definitely look into them, i'll see how Convenience goes on Saturday, but if anyone wants to have a poke at slitherstones go for it. End of slitherstones 3 sounds a lot like west JH is and what East JH was before it was opened. Choked!
 

Big Jim

Member
Bograts circle looks about where Petras cave is (Dan Hibberts always calls it that). Climb up scree about 5m into cave entrance. We were digging it a couple of years ago before access ban. We got rid of large boulder at entrance. Just needs a railway and digging team....if u fancy it have a word with Dan.
 

bograt

Active member
Big Jim said:
Bograts circle looks about where Petras cave is (Dan Hibberts always calls it that). Climb up scree about 5m into cave entrance. We were digging it a couple of years ago before access ban. We got rid of large boulder at entrance. Just needs a railway and digging team....if u fancy it have a word with Dan.

I suppose if they have removed the higher bench with the vertical hole in it, horizontal develpoment along a lower bedding might have been intercepted, I must get over to take a look, can't make Saturday though.
 

bograt

Active member
Just been playing with the Survex, it appears that Sidetrack and Convenience are both on the same development horizon as Damocles rift, is this feasible? if so, 'Petras' would be on a lower horizon and could prove worthwhile.

Also had a thought about 'playing', how about a drone fitted with a heat detecting camera? seems like the quarry would be a good place to try it in the right weather conditions, with comparatively thin surface vegetation, temperature variations could be more pronounced.
 

bograt

Active member
Looks like I may be able to get up there this Sunday (15th), will take the camera and trawl the brain cells (whats left of them!!)
 
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